Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 27, 2026

What We Collect

What The News is designed to minimize data collection. We do not require account creation, and we do not track individual users across sessions.

Session Cookies

We use a single session cookie for administrative functionality (admin login) and CSRF protection on form submissions. This cookie is:

  • HttpOnly — not accessible to JavaScript
  • SameSite=Lax — not sent on cross-origin requests
  • Secure — transmitted only over HTTPS in production

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party analytics.

Server Logs

Standard server logs record IP addresses, request paths, and timestamps for security monitoring and rate limiting. Logs are retained for operational purposes and are not shared with third parties.

Search Queries

Search queries submitted through the site search are processed server-side and not stored beyond the immediate request. Search result pages are excluded from search engine indexing.

Third-Party Services

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand aggregate traffic patterns — which pages are visited, how users navigate the site, and where traffic originates. GA4 collects anonymized data using first-party cookies. We have IP anonymization enabled. We do not use this data for advertising or share it with third parties beyond Google's analytics service. You can opt out using a browser extension from Google.

Google Fonts

We load typefaces (Inter, JetBrains Mono) from Google Fonts. This means your browser makes requests to Google's servers when loading our pages. Google's privacy policy applies to those requests: policies.google.com/privacy.

YouTube Thumbnails

Featured video sections display thumbnail images loaded from YouTube's image servers (i.ytimg.com). This means your browser makes requests to Google's servers when viewing pages with video thumbnails.

External Links

Links to source videos (YouTube), publication websites, and ecosystem sites (What The Vote, The Honest Copy) leave our domain. Those sites have their own privacy policies.

Public Figure Data

What The News collects and displays publicly available information about media personalities and publications, including:

  • On-air statements extracted from publicly available video transcripts
  • Salary data from court filings, SEC disclosures, and trade press
  • Legal records from public court proceedings
  • Publication ownership data from public filings

All data pertains to public figures acting in their professional capacity and is sourced from publicly accessible records. If you believe any information is inaccurate, contact us at contact@whatthenews.us.

API Usage

What The News provides a public JSON API consumed by The Honest Copy. API requests are rate-limited and logged for abuse prevention. No authentication or personal data is required to use the API.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as our practices evolve. Changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Contact

Questions about this privacy policy: contact@whatthenews.us